Rotary engine.



No. 724,056. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

G. J. SCOTT. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0012, 1901. N0 MODEL.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

( WITNESSES: VE N 70/? WWW No. 724,056. 'PATBNTED MAR. a1, 1903.

G. J. SCOTT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 012 1901.

u o m o n E L I a s H n n T s s H n n T a.

W/TNESSESi 4 my VENTOR v YEWZWM UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

GORDON Jonu soo r'r, OF ONE-HALF To WATSON VANIA- v ROTARY ENGlNE.

, .srncmcarron forming art of Letters Patent No. 724,05 dated March 31, race; I Application filed October-2, 190i. Berlal No 77,274. (Remodel) a-Zz whom it mayvconoern: Be it known that I, GORDON J OHN Soorrr, a

citizen of the United States,-residing in the city and county of'Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'-'Rotary Engines, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact 'description,-reference being had to the accompanying drawings, vforming a part, of

specification.

- This invention relates to rotary enginea'm'y ohject being'to provide in this connection 'a simple and durable construction and or 'anination of mechanism whereby-.eflicient'results 1 shall be attained. In the present embodiment of my invention I employ a suitable casing, an annular piston therein, a series of between said piston andthe inner wall of the plurality of independent compartments, suitably-disposed ports communicating with said f compartments, an'da valve-ring eccentricallymounted on the engine-shaft and adapted to re'ifect the gradual opening and closing of the ports in succession in a manner .to permit the -"egress from the respective compartments at, predetermined in-tervals,-and thus to effect the bodily movement of the piston about the said shaft, together with a transmitting device intermediate the piston and the shaft whereby j 'as'thepiston is actuated power is transmitted v ingress of steam to, its retention-in,'.'and

therefrom to the 'said shaft, as wiil'be here,-

I inafter fully setforth and claimed.-

' i and B a casing thereon of suitable shape and size for its intended purpose. In the present instance this casingcomprises-a hollow body or frame 12 and two end'heads b b Theineasing, said'con'nections; being arranged: to afliord within the casing a terior'of this body or frame is constructed to form a circular-chamber with a series-of retral lines of whichradiatefrom the center of the circnlarch'amber at an angle of' forty-five degrees to the horizontaldian eter of the latter. Ariranged within this circularcham'ber is an annular piston G, of less diameter than H 1 the chamber,-;which; piston is fastened. by means of contractible and expansible connections c to the walls oftherespective recesses',

and thereby yieldingly supported at four PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR or BIRDSALL RUL'ON, or PHILADELPHIA,.PENNSYL- cesses b at intervals apart. In the illustratign there are fourof these, recesses, the cenpoints in its circumference'. 'Eachco'nnecs 7 tion comprises a pair'of oppositely-disp'osed toggle-levers of sufiicient width to extend from side meme 0], the casing, and hence that contractible and expansible connections, pref} jerably toggle-levers,

portion of the chamber exterio rly of the pis ton is divided into four compartments, (noted 1, "2, 3', and 4, respectively.) Journaled in suitable boxes exteriorly'of the casing is a "shaft D, provided with a' cranlr or eccentric portion. d and-also with two laterally-disposed concentric collars d. On the eccentric portionFis loosely mounted a wheel E, thatc n tacts with the inner periphery "of thevp iston',

. while on' the collars are loosely mounted rings di that also contact withthe inner periphery ofv the piston at points-oppositeto that where the loose wheel contacts withthe piston."

In one'of zthe heads of the-casing are four ports, (noted '1, 2, 3*, and 4,-respectively,) which opeij intothe respective compartments of the. chamberfand are. disposed ateq-uidis'. taut points-from the; center of the latter.

chamber F, formed between the head bbf the casing and an end head I), bolted thereto,

the latter .constituting'the steam-chest; A In this head are two ports.to wit, an inlet-port G and an exh'aust-portH. The inlet-port communicates with an annularpassagegon the inner side of the; head b,land this passage in turn communicates directly with the chamber F. The exhaust-port leads from'the lower portion of the latterchamber. Withinthis chamber is an annular valve I, having radial arms a and a hub i, which is loosely mounted on an eccentric i on the shaft D, whereby as the latter is rotated the valve is 5 These ports also communicate with a'circular I eccentrically rotated about the ports to efiect the gradual opening and closing of thesame in succession. The portion of the chamber F surrounding the outer periphery of the valve communicates with the exhaust-port H, while the portion within the interior periphery of the valve opens into the annular passage in ber 2, the port 3, having entirely opened to permit the exhaust of the steam from chamber 3, is closing, and the port 4 is being opened to permit the exhausting of the steam from the chamber 4. As-the valve rotates the several ports are caused progressively to assume these'relative conditions indicated, and hence there is steam in two adjacent compartments at all times acting against the opposing surfaces of the toggles and the piston to'force the latter away from the wall of the casing, in consequence of which the piston is bodily moved in a path. about the axis of the main shaft and in proximity to the circular wall of the casing. The pressure at the point at contact of the piston upon the wheel E effects the rotation of the latter about the inner periphery of the piston, and hence'the revolution of theshaft upon which the wheel E is eccentricallymounted. This shaft through the eccentric connection 1' described actuates' the valve to control the periodical admission and exhaust of the steam to and from the chambers in the order above indicated.-

The purpose of the rings d is. to prevent actual contact between the outer periphery of thepiston and. the frame. There is slight lost motion between the piston and the wheel E, so that the latter will contact with the former ata point immediately rearward of the line of centers of the shaft and wheel. The

constant tendency, therefore, is to shorten the distance between the points on the piston where it touches the wheel on one side and where it brings up on the rings d on the other side,thereby maintaining a continuous torque or turning effect about the entire revolution of the shaft The valve mechanism is shown herein in a simple and efficient form. It may be adapted to different types of engines by varying the positions of, the ports and by changing the radial depth of the valve-ring and the throw of the'ecceutric.

The rings d may be loose on the shaft, as

shown, or they may be integral with the end plates.

It will be noticed that although the motions of thepiston and crank are circular, yet they 5 differ in degree, the motion of the crank exneeding that of thepistou. In fact, even though the motion of the piston be fractional the radial throw of the crank may bevery great. p

I would add that I do not limit.myself to the particulardetails of construction above described, as the same may be modified in many-respects without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim- 1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a stationary casing, of a piston therein, expansible and contractible connections between fixed points on said piston and easing affording a series of independent compartments, means whereby pressure fluid is introduced to said compartments in prescribed order to act upon the said connections and the piston,

a power-shaft, and a transmission device between said shaft and piston.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing, of a piston therein, toggle connec-.

tions between said piston and casing affording a series of independent compartments, means whereby pressure fluid is introduced to said compartments in prescribed order to act upon the said connections and the piston, a powershaft, and a transmission device between said shaft and the piston.

3. In a rotary engine, thecombination with a casing, of a piston therein, connections between said piston and easing affording a 86lries of independent compartments, each of said connections comprising a pain of oppositely-disposed toggle-levers, means whereby pressure fiuid'is introduced to the said compartments in prescribed order to act upon the said connections and the piston, a powershaft, and a transmission device between said shaft and piston.

' 4:. In a rotary engine,'the combination with the casing, of an annular piston therein, ex-

pansible and contractibl'e connections be-' tween said piston and easing affording a series of independent compartments, means whereby pressure fluid is introduced to said compartments in prescribed order to act upon the said connections and the piston, a powershaft, and a wheel eccentrically mounted thereon coasting tangentially with said pis- -ton.

5'. In a rotary engine, the combination with the casing, of an annular piston therein, expansibleand contractible connections between the said piston and the casing affording a series ofindependent compartments, means whereby pressure fluid is introduced to said compartments in prescribed order to act upon the said connections and the piston,

a power-shaft provided with a crank portion,-

and a wheel loosely mounted on said portion and coacting tangentially with said piston.

6. In a rotary engine, the'combination with the casing, of an annular piston therein, expansible and contractible connections between said piston and easing affording a seshaft and piston and a ring or rings on'said shaft supporting the piston out of contact with the wall of the casing.

7. y In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing, of a piston therein, expansible and contractible connections between said piston and-casing affording a series of. independent compartments, a power-shaft, a transmission device between said shaft and piston coacting tangentially with theiatter, ports forthe saidcompartinents, a steam-chest, an a'nnnlar valve for opening and closing said ports, and an eccentric connection between ,said

valve and the power-shaft.

8. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing in which is formed a circular sham-- ber interrupted by outwardly-extending recesses or otisets at intervals, of an annular piston in said chamber,toggle-levers arranged within said recesses or oifsets and connected to the casing and the periphery of, the piston,

and wheel.

80 as to form a series of independent co'mpartments about, the piston, means whereby pressure fluid is'introduced to said compartments in prescribed order toact npo'n'the said connections and the piston, a power-shaft, and a wheel oeccentricall'y mounted thereon coacting with the said piston;

9. The combination with a casing, of an an nular piston therein,expansi ble and contractible connections between the said piston and the casing affordinga series of independent compartments, means whereby pressure fluid is introduced tdsaid compartments in pre= scribed order, a ,power-shaft, and a wheel eccentrically mounted thereon and contacting tangentially with said piston at a point in rear of the line of centers of the said shaft In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- 45 fixed my signature in the presence of, two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, J OHN R. NOLAN.

GORDON JOHN scorn; 

